Asbestos contamination has been confirmed in mulch sold in Canberra.
Testing of mulch has confirmed bonded asbestos was present in stockpiles sold or supplied by 12 businesses in the ACT.
"Further testing of mulch from suppliers around the ACT is underway to establish the extent of the contamination and any further action and remediation required," WorkSafe ACT said.
Work Health and Safety Commissioner Jacqueline Agius said there was not an immediate major health risk but WorkSafe ACT was responding quickly to the contamination.
"While the risk of exposure to airborne asbestos fibres from bonded asbestos is low, if bonded asbestos is damaged or disturbed, it may cause the release of airborne asbestos fibres. It is very important that you do not move potentially contaminated material," Ms Agius said in a statement.
"The safety of the community is our number-one priority. We are currently working with involved businesses to identify and inform anyone who may be impacted."
Anyone who may have purchased or received the mulch has been urged to not disturb it, isolate it so far as possible and contact WorkSafe ACT.
Retailers and suppliers of the mulch include:
- Stonehenge
- Biajag
- Cool Green
- Living Simply
- Botanical Places
- Green Options
- Casey Projects
- Otis Gardening
- Terra Mater Group (formerly Eifer Earth)
- Rexley Landscaping
- COD Living Green Sustainable Gardening
- J & D Maintenance
The businesses may have sold or supplied the product between March 1, 2023 and February 19, 2024, and customers were being contacted, WorkSafe ACT said.
The mulch at Stonehenge Beltana was sampled for laboratory asbestos testing on Monday, after the territory government confirmed the mulch had come into the ACT from a Sydney business linked to multiple contaminated sites in NSW.
Matthew Kamarul, from the ACT Environment Protection Authority, said further testing was expected to continue on Tuesday and into the coming days.
"The intention is to continue testing through a triaged approach. So whether or not that first batch that is tested is found to be positive, continued testing across key sites will be undertaken," Mr Kamarul said on Tuesday morning.
Beltana Stonehenge had also sold the mulch to smaller retailers, and Mr Kamarul said it was possible more customers would be identified through an audit of purchase records.
"The process of audit will be to work with those small retailers to identify where and if they have sold on mulch that they have purchased," he said.
"That taskforce is working through that presently, and that work will be ongoing over the next seven days."
The government on Monday said the mulch was sold on to 24 companies and had been delivered to 27 addresses across Canberra.
About 25 cubic metres of the mulch remained at the Pialligo business' yard. The mulch is subject to a WorkSafe ACT prohibition notice.
WorkSafe ACT said it was issuing more prohibition notices to prevent the contaminated material being disturbed, handled or disposed of.
